Dragging Kids: Parents Can’t Defend Childhood One Controversy at a Time
Who gets the final say in a child’s upbringing, the parents who raise them or the institutions that increasingly shape their worldview? Craig DeRoche, CEO of Family Policy Alliance, is available to discuss why a recent all-ages drag tea party promoted to children and families at the University of Illinois is only the latest example of a much larger cultural battle over parental rights, childhood innocence, and the growing influence of government-funded institutions. The controversy may be new, but the underlying conflict is becoming one of the defining issues facing American families.
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- Parents, not institutions, should guide children’s upbringing
- Public trust erodes when parents are sidelined
- Childhood increasingly caught in America’s culture wars
- Transparency and parental consent remain essential
- Protecting children begins by empowering families
Across the country, parents are finding themselves forced to react to decisions made by schools, universities, libraries, and other public institutions that increasingly introduce children to controversial social and ideological topics. Whether the issue is drag performances, gender identity, sexually explicit materials, or age-appropriate programming, DeRoche argues that these debates all stem from the same fundamental question: Who is raising America’s children?
Each Family Must Fight the Dragging of Kids
This is far bigger than a disagreement over one campus event. It reflects a growing trend in which parents are expected to accept decisions made by educators, administrators, activists, and government officials rather than being recognized as the primary authority in their children’s lives. DeRoche contends that children should never become the audience for political or ideological activism and that parents—not institutions—must remain the first and final voice in determining what is appropriate for their sons and daughters.
As these controversies continue surfacing nationwide, Americans are asking whether childhood itself has become another battlefield in the nation’s culture wars. The debate is no longer confined to universities. It now extends to elementary schools, public libraries, museums, community centers, and taxpayer-funded programs where parents often discover controversial programming only after it has already occurred.
DeRoche can discuss why parental rights are increasingly under pressure, how institutions have expanded their role beyond education into values formation, and what policies can restore transparency, accountability, and parental consent. He also addresses why protecting children begins not with government mandates or institutional programming, but with empowering mothers and fathers to make informed decisions about their own families.
For audiences concerned about where the culture is headed, DeRoche offers a principled, solutions-focused perspective on why restoring parental authority may be the most important family policy debate in America.
Relevant Article(s):
Let Parents Parent – Family Policy Alliance
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- Who should have the final say in what children are exposed to?
- Have public institutions replaced parents as America’s moral authority?
- When does inclusion become ideological indoctrination?
- Should taxpayer-funded institutions host events targeting children with controversial themes?
- Why are parents so often informed after decisions are already made?
- Where should the line be drawn between education and activism?
- Are America’s culture wars being fought through its children?
- How can parents reclaim their rightful role as their children’s first teachers?
ABOUT CRAIG DEROCHE…
Craig DeRoche serves as President and CEO of Family Policy Alliance, the central hub of the pro-family movement, equipping citizens, churches, and elected officials to protect children, defend parents’ rights, and advance biblical values through civic engagement. Under Craig’s leadership, FPA and its network of 40 state family policy councils have helped lead major national campaigns including Save Girls Sports, Help Not Harm, After Roe, and Let Parents Parent.
Craig previously served as Speaker of the House in Michigan and president of Justice Fellowship, founded by Watergate figure, Chuck Colson. He is a frequent speaker and author on faith, culture, public policy, and civic engagement and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fox News, and Christianity Today. Craig is also a devoted husband and father and the author of Highly Functional and Outrageous Justice.
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